Golden Love And Candy Kisses
by Megumi-ko
Summary: Kise Ryota, a former member of the Generation of Miracles has lost a game to none other than Aomine Daiki, his role model. As he makes his way home, he can't seem to get it off of his mind. And before he can make it home peacefully, he finds a girl hidden in the bushes. Out of a pure heart, he saves her, but oblivious of what the future may bring...LEMONS&SPOILERS! Kise x OC fic.
1. Scent of a Sweet Start

So I've started a new fanfic, and for those of you who know me from my first fanfic, _yes_ I've been lazy...I'll eventually get to the first one, I've just been more inspired by another series. And that series is...Kuroko no Basket! I love it sooooo much! LOL. It's not only my favorite series now, it's like an obsession...and I can't get it out of my head! The guys are sooooo hot!~

Anyways, I kind of have an obsession with Kise, especially. You know you girls want him. His milkshake brings all the girls to the yard. ;)

Ew.

Okay, so anyways, enjoy! Feel free to leave a review or any comments!

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Scent of a Sweet Start

The blonde boy walked at a slow pace as the sun set. He was headed down the sidewalk, though his movements were weak and sluggish. The remaining sunshine shone down on his head, causing his golden locks to glow. His bright yellow eyes appeared almost dull, all of the energy normally found in them, lost. His gaze stayed on the ground, only darting up every once in a while when he'd have to cross the road.

It hurt to lose. It wasn't as if he'd never felt the feeling before, but he'd lost against Aomine this time. He'd tried hard in the Interhigh today; he was more than just trying, he was giving it his all. But that _still_ wasn't enough. The Generation of Miracles' Ace was definitely strong; in fact, some could argue he was physically the strongest. But Kise wanted to win for once, to win for himself, and his team.

He stopped walking and glanced over into a display window of a nearby antique shop. It was summer break, but all he'd done was train and focus on the game with Touou High's basketball team. He'd been eager for the match today, and had done all he could to prepare, but lost regardless.

Reluctantly, he sighed and continued towards his apartment. It would be a long walk, because he'd gotten off the bus early, afraid he'd have an outburst. He really needed to blow off some steam. For that reason, the long walk was perfect. Though he staggered a little, his legs exhausted from imitating Aomine's moves, and trying to keep up with him.

_I should've known I wasn't strong enough yet. Well, at the least I can say I didn't give up until the very end_, he thought to himself, his bangs swaying with the crisp wind. It was summer, but as the sun began to disappear, the temperature dropped dramatically. He was thankful that he brought his yellow sweatshirt with him.

It was almost eight or nine when he got to the apartment complex. It was a nice complex; his parents urged him to move into a nice one. Affordable or not, they wanted the best for him, so they moved him into an above-average, two bedroom apartment, assuming he could use the leftover space for whatever he wanted. They pretty much paid for it, sending him about five hundred dollars a month—his family was rather wealthy, but he hated relying on them. The rest of his expenses he covered with his successful modeling career.

As he made it to the main entrance, he thought about what he'd eat for dinner. _Well, I'm too tired from the game today, so I'll settle for some instant ramen tonight. Wait, pasta sounds good too. But then I'd have to cook it…_

The wind blew and the bushes nearby rustled. His thoughts stopped as his body came to a halt. His eyes widened. He thought he'd seen something in the bushes to his right. He blinked a couple of times, and looked over slowly. What came into view was something he hardly expected.

A small girl lay on her side behind the bushes, almost hidden from view. Her skin looked luminescent under the moonlight, and her pink hair reminded him of cherry blossoms. Her eyes were shut, and she appeared to be sleeping. He stared at her for a couple more seconds until he realized she was completely naked.

"W-Whoa!" Kise said, turning and covering his eyes. His face had completely reddened and his expression was a mixture of shock and confusion.

"Did I really just see that?" he said, laughing. "Nah can't be true." He took another look just to be sure.

He turned around, face reddened again. "Okay, okay. Focus. She's lying down in the bushes, naked."

He realized that was all the information he had. He sighed, and slapped himself in the face, attempting to regain his concentration. He had to think. "I've never seen her face before, so I doubt she lives around here. And she'll die out here in the cold, with the temperature dropping and her…" He coughed. "…circumstances." He groaned. "First thing's first, then."

He turned around, hesitantly, and tried to keep from looking at her body. Quickly, he took off his sweatshirt and walked over to where she lay. "You can do this, Kise. Just don't look."

Eyes closed, the first thing he did was hold her up. Her limp body was light, and easy for him to hold up. He didn't want to hurt her, so he slid his hands from under her armpits down to her waist. He bit his lip as he felt her curves, trying hard to push back dirty thoughts.

His eyes kept shut, but his heart pounded, denying him peace while he attempted to slide the sweatshirt on her. He easily held her with one hand and quickly slipped the sweatshirt on, slipping her arms through the armholes, trying hard to be gentle. When he felt it was safe to look, his head turned slowly and he opened his eyes with hesitance.

The size difference between him and the girl was tremendous. While the sweatshirt was normal sized for him, on this girl it appeared to almost swallow her whole. Her arms disappeared in the sleeves, and the band at the bottom closed in at her thighs. He would've laughed, but a small sigh escaped his lips instead. He was satisfied now that she was covered up. It would be easier to analyze the situation without her body distracting that sixteen-year-old mind of his.

He looked her over again, and saw bruises trailing up and down her legs. They were everywhere. His mouth gaped open. He couldn't even begin to think of what kind of situation she was in. He bit his lip, feeling sympathetic pain in his stomach. Her hair was ragged and tangled, and half her body was covered in dirt from lying in the bushes. She looked thin, as if she hadn't been eating, and her body felt frail and fragile in his arms.

To take a better look at her, he held her face up to look at him. She was beautiful. Her bangs parted in the middle and went to both sides of her face, framing it perfectly. It was the color of cherry blossoms. Her cheeks were slightly pink, and her eyelashes were long and luxurious. Her lips were slightly parted and appeared glossy. Her complexion was clean of blemishes, and her skin glowed in the moonlight. For someone who was in an unhealthy condition, he was surprised to find that she still held so much beauty. But her expression looked strained, now that he noticed it, and she was breathing in a weird pattern. He had to get her to safety.

But he couldn't call the police at this point; they'd take too long to get here. He lived almost in the outskirts of town, where the most luxurious apartments were. The police station was across town. By the time they got here, it'd be really late, and he didn't want to risk causing problems for other people living in the complex. Besides, if the press somehow got around the story, his modeling career could get ruined. People might start to think the whole thing was his fault, and that he raped her or something ridiculous that only the press would come up with.

_Just stay focused, Kise. Just get her to safety,_ he thought to himself, knowing he had only one last option.

He'd have to take her to his apartment.

So, with a sigh and a grunt, he lifted her bridal style and carried her in the front doors. Glad that there were only a couple hallways and an elevator separating him from his suite, he hurried to the elevator doors, praying no one was inside. The view of him with a mostly-naked girl wouldn't exactly look good.

Luckily, the elevator was empty. As soon as he reached his floor, he made his way to his door as quickly as possible, while trying to keep his footsteps light and quiet. He didn't want to cause a ruckus, and if anything, he'd end up with a lot of trouble if he was caught.

Sliding the key card through the slot, he heard a slight 'click' noise. He grabbed the handle, careful not to drop the sleeping girl and waltzed inside, quickly closing the door behind him.

As soon as he got into the living room, he gingerly set her down on the couch, treating her as if she were a porcelain doll. He dropped his bag next to the couch, as silently as possible. His eyes shifted to the girl, and taking off his shoes, he headed back over to her. He tenderly brushed back some bangs that had fallen astray onto her face, cautious not to wake her. Her expression seemed a bit more at ease now, and he smiled with content.

His satisfied mood lasted only for a moment. His eyes flashed back to her legs covered in cuts and bruises, and his smile subsided. He furrowed his eyebrows in anger and thought. _Who would do this to a girl like her? What could she possibly do to deserve this?_

He shook off the feeling and regained his composure. "I should probably bandage her. But…I've never really done it before. Maybe I should call someone, like—

Realizing that it was too late to call for help, he ran his hand through his hair in frustration. He'd already had a messed up day, and it didn't seem to be getting any easier.

Swiftly, he turned on his feet and headed to the bathroom. "Gauze…where do I keep that again?" he mumbled to himself as he rummaged through the pantry above the toilet. "Oh, here it is."

Keeping the gauze wound together tightly, he approached the girl on his couch in the living room. Making sure he didn't cut off her circulation and pull the bandage too tight—which he'd done several times, and ended up restarting each time—he spun the wrapping around her leg with delicacy. When he finished, he stood to look at his masterpiece.

On her right leg, the bandage covered all around her shin. On her left, it covered mostly her thigh. Both arms had their helping of bandages, and her right foot was wrapped snuggly. Still, she looked like a toilet paper roll when he was finished.

He burst out laughing, holding his mouth in an attempt to muffle the sound. _Pfft!_ _Maybe I outdid it there a little…She kinda looks like a mummy. _He shrugged with a crooked grin. _At least she's a cute mummy._

Suddenly, his overwhelming day took hold of him. He yawned and it brought tears to his eyes. He blinked them back and stretched his arms in the air. He knew it'd be unhealthy to skip dinner after such an energy-absorbing game, so he hurried into the kitchen and fumbled around, searching for something edible that didn't need to be cooked. Putting in any effort to cook wouldn't be possible at this point, and he knew he needed sleep soon. By mulling it over, he had decided something quick and easy would be the best option. He pulled out an orange, and satisfied, began peeling it with a small knife.

To ensure that he didn't create a mess, he idly moved to the trashcan and continued peeling it. As he did so, his eyes moved to the girl several times.

_Is it really possible to sleep through all of this? I mean…either she's a deep sleeper or—_

Remembering the strange breathing pattern she'd had, his eyes widened. She'd been running. It was the only way she could've needed that much air, even while passed out. That explained why she hadn't woken up through the whole thing.

He took a slice of the fully peeled orange and popped it into his mouth. He savored the flavor and chewed while he thought things out. His eyebrows furrowed.

_So she had been knocked out cold, not just sleeping. She must have been so fatigued that her body couldn't take it. Knowing that, she'd probably purposely thrown herself into the bushes as her final resort to hide. _He sighed, and popped another slice into his mouth. _Or who knows? Maybe I'm wrong…_

Breaking his chain of thinking, his cell phone lit up from inside of his bag. For a moment, he didn't realize what it was, but then he heard the vibrating. He was thankful he'd set it to vibrate. Startling her awake with a ringtone was the last thing he wanted to do, after all he'd done.

Reaching inside and taking the cell phone out, he answered, saying, "Ah! Kasamatsu-senpai! You called! What's up?"

"Hey…I wanted to apologize for today," Kasamatsu said, his tone of voice serious.

"For what, senpai? We did our best, right? And we didn't give up!" Kise laughed, trying to cheer up his teammate.

"Yeah, but…look, I have a lot of things I need to say. I just want to get them off of my shoulders. Just…listen, okay?"

Kise's expression went serious and his tone did the same. He stood, grabbed a jacket that was hanging off the armrest of the loveseat next to the couch, and headed out onto the balcony. "Alright, go on," he said as he slipped the jacket on and zipped it up.

"I wasn't fair to you," Kasamatsu said with a sigh. "I feel like I put the responsibility of our game today solely on you. I wanted to win more than anything; I wanted to redeem myself for a past mistake I made."

Silence filled the air for a moment. Kise leaned on the railing silently and with ease. The wind blew, sweeping Kise's bangs to one side, which in reaction, he brushed them back, but slowly. He continued to listen, intently as he stared out into the city lights.

"But I was wrong," Kasamatsu continued. "I knew determination was a good thing to drive someone, but throughout the game I felt like hatred was taking me over. I…hated myself for missing that pass last year, you know? I lost all hope in playing basketball. I let Touou take the game from us when we had the chance to beat them. Throughout the whole game it was like I wasn't focusing because I was just thinking about winning, and being able to rub it in their faces."

Kasamatsu grunted, and breathed in. "I apologize. Kise, you are definitely a prized member, but I won't put the responsibility on you. Your legs were in pain after the game, but I was fine." He laughed bitterly. "Sweaty, but I had plenty of energy left to spare. It was like I couldn't give it my all because I was leaning on you."

Kise smiled sadly. He'd known Kasamatsu wasn't the type to just give up on things. He knew what was coming next. Eating the remaining pieces of his orange, he kept silent and waited.

"That's why I'm going to train hard, and be the best captain I can. I'm going to teach Touou not to underestimate us in the Winter Cup!"

Kise grinned as he said, "Yeah, senpai! We'll show them as a team!"

Kasamatsu replied with an enthusiastic, "Right! And, I'll still lean on you some, but only because we're teammates. From this point on, I'm going to go all out, too!"

Kise's grin widened. "Yup, we'll show Touou for sure!"

"Well, that's all I wanted to say, so see you later," Kasamatsu said. "And don't slack off this weekend!"

"Yeah, yeah," Kise said, still smiling. It made him happy to know Kasamatsu was back to normal. "See you," he added, just before he hit the "end call" button.

He stepped backwards and leaned against the sliding glass door with relief. He could feel the wind caress his face as he lifted his chin upward.

Kise wasn't sure if they would actually be able to beat Touou. He'd played against Aomine, one on one plenty of times in the past, and even that practice alone wasn't enough to beat him. Even if you knew his movements on the court, it was impossible to catch him. He was faster, stronger, and more agile than most people.

Kise clicked his tongue lightly, and remembered what'd he'd given up in order to defeat Aomine. As a kid, he had looked up to Aomine and Aomine was like his role model. However, because he looked up to him, he always wanted Aomine to win. After all, if you wanted to be like that person, logically you'd want them to win.

And that was what made it impossible to win against him, so he'd given up looking at Aomine as his role model. Instead, he categorized him as a rival in his head. Despite his efforts to give that up, he still lost. He'd even been using his "copycat" ability during the game. For half of it, he had matched Aomine's moves, but Aomine was still too strong.

Kise felt like crying again, but he held back. It was crushing to know that your very best just wasn't good enough. But he was certain he could win if he got stronger. It might kill him, but he was certain it was possible.

The city lights flickered in the distance, and the sharp edges of the buildings grew blurry. The lights grew larger, and more circular as Kise's eyes filled with tears. He blinked, hoping the feeling would pass again, but the tears proceeded until they were blatantly running down his cheeks.

Wiping them away with his sleeve, he sniffled and sat, and covered his eyes. He didn't allow himself to make any noise. For the sake of his pride, he wouldn't.

He let the tears flow freely, but scolded himself. He'd been a crybaby since he was little; when he didn't win, he cried. When people teased him, he cried. Most of it, he'd gotten over, but he still had his moments. He didn't like it, but it was the way he'd always been. And now he was crying over what seemed like something so simple.

When the tears dried, and his eyes stung intensely, he stood and tilted his head upwards. He smirked to himself. Although loss hurt, each time it came about, he felt renewed and stronger afterwards.

No matter what, each mistake he made would only bring him one step higher than before. He smiled at the thought, his eyes glowing with newfound confidence.

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," Kise said to himself, sniffling a little, but now with a bright and glowing expression.

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So guys, that's the first chapter of "Golden Love And Candy Kisses." I hope you enjoy! By the way, just so we're clear this girl is an original character that I've come up with. You don't know much about her yet though, so I won't spoil it! Toodles!~

_I'm way too tired for this...Lol..._


	2. Vanilla Coffee and Peach Tea

Hello guys! I'm back! I know it's been forever, but here's the second chapter! By the way, every time there's a line, the point of view switches.

The story will switch between Valerie and Kise. Also, I promise to get more of Valerie's point of view in the next chapter!~

Again, feel free to leave comments or reviews! They're greatly appreciated!

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Vanilla Coffee and Peach Tea

Chirping could be heard outside, and the sun was rising steadily over the horizon as Kise dragged himself out of bed. Yawning, he ran one hand through his hair and headed into the bathroom to brush his teeth.

Putting toothpaste onto his toothbrush, he looked up at the mirror and his reflection and realized he had slept in his clothes from the day before. He thought he had changed, but he was still wearing his basketball uniform, which was disgustingly clammy in some spots.

Still looking himself in the mirror, his thoughts were clouded with the memory of losing to Aomine the day before. He was pretty much over it, but he strived to win against Aomine. So keeping a positive mind and trying harder, like he did best, was essential.

_Maybe I'll go to the gym today, and get some running in, or work on my abs. Yeah, abs…I could work on those._

He groaned, and groggily rubbed his face with his unoccupied hand as he finished brushing his teeth. He hadn't taken a shower either, and his own smell was becoming apparent to him.

Without haste, he started up the shower, and spit and rinsed his toothbrush. Placing the brush back in its place, he swiftly removed his clothes, dropping them in the hamper underneath the counter. Stepping into the shower, and closing the glass door behind him, his mind cleared. Tilting his head back, he closed his eyes with relief.

* * *

Her eyes fluttered open, her body thrown into the sitting position with speed. Heart pounding, she was panting, as if she'd awoken from a terrifying dream. She clenched at her heart, grabbing a fistful of her shirt in her hand.

As her pulse steadied, she scanned her surroundings.

_Where am I? Where is this? _

Looking down, she saw she wasn't wearing anything but a sweatshirt, that wasn't even hers. Someone had also bandaged her, but who?

_I have to get out of here…what if it's _them_? What if they were the ones that took me here? I can't let them take me back yet…_

Slowly, she slid her legs off of the couch she'd slept on, and stood up. Moving slowly, she quietly padded out of the living room, towards the front door. She reached for the handle, but before she could, she heard the sound of a shower. Her hand stopped and she turned around.

_So someone else is here…I can't be sure if it's one of the men my father sent. I suppose I could take a quick look just to be sure…_

Following the sound of the shower, she traveled light on her feet. The noise led her to a closed door, and she gulped.

_What if it's not one of the men? Then it could be anyone! But I have to know!_

Her face reddened, and she inhaled and exhaled.

_Its okay, you can do this! You've seen male parts before! It can't be that awful…Besides, what if it's a woman?_

Her face twisted into a disgusted look at the idea. "Honestly, I just hope that I don't have to see any parts of anyone," she said, shaking off the thoughts.

She carefully rested her hand on the doorknob. She bit her lip, turned the knob, and opened the door lightly. Poking her head inside, she realized she had entered the main bedroom of the apartment.

The room smelled of sweat and dirty socks, and she pinched her nose. The bed sheets and cover were spilling off of one side of the bed, sweeping down into one large pile of cushion. Pillows were here and there, only one in the right place. Men's clothing adorned the floor, and when she stepped in a pair of dirty underwear, her facial expression went sour.

"This is disgusting," she remarked. "How would someone walk through here?"

Curious, she looked around some more. There was a bookshelf against the far wall, with few books on it, and a collection of basketball trophies lined up along one shelf. Next to the bookshelf was a calendar with days circled and crossed out in red marker. Windows symmetrically were placed on both sides of the bed, letting some warm light into the room.

There were two doors; one in the corner closest to the bedroom entrance, and one that was creaked open a little, with steam coming from the slight opening. Figuring one was the bathroom, and the other was a closet, she turned to the slightly-opened door.

Being sure to avoid the piles of clothes, she found herself playing a game of hopscotch across the room. A small light reflected off the surface of something and she stopped. She turned to where the glare was coming from and noticed a small picture frame on the bedside table. Quietly, she fumbled over towards it.

"Oh, what's this? A picture of two little boys…friends, maybe?" She said aloud, holding the frame in her hands. "They're so young and cute! The guy with blue hair looks more muscular for his age, but his smile is so genuine! And somehow, the blonde one looks familiar…" she mumbled, tilting her head to the side slightly.

A small squeak noise came from the bathroom, and the sound of water stopped. Setting the frame back onto the bedside table, she hurried over to the crack without making any noise.

_If I'm not quick, I'll get caught! Just look and run! Look, and run…_

Peeking inside, she slowly scanned the room through the crack, but it was too small. She pushed it slightly but didn't see anyone. "Huh, that's funny…I thought—

Before she could finish her statement, the door flung open, and a tall boy, wrapped in only a small towel at the waist bumped right into her. From the force and shock of her being up so close, his feet rolled forward, and he started to trip. She clenched her eyes shut, just waiting for the final impact.

"Ah—

Suddenly, he toppled forward onto her, catching her and swinging her on top of him with momentum. The two hit the ground with a thud, the girl now on top. After a moment, she slowly opened her eyes. Her head was sideways against his chest and she could hear a pounding heartbeat.

She quickly pulled up from him and leaned over him, looking him in the eyes. He stared back, and for a moment, complete silence filled the room and her thoughts. He was beautiful. Not just the average pretty boy, but stunningly beautiful and handsome. His golden hair was bright and matched his striking eyes, which had dramatically long eye lashes for a man. His skin was very fair, and his arms and torso were nicely toned. He was well built, and looked like a model.

Suddenly, his expressionless face went red. His eyes widened and his mouth quivered. "U-um, my towel—

Pulling her from her thoughts, she blinked and looked down at where his towel was—or had been. During the fall it had probably fallen off. She felt a warm sensation against her sex now, and saw that it was his own. Her face paled as she remembered she had little clothing on, and in the position they were in now, she looked as if she were practically begging him for it.

Jumping up with a pokerfaced look, she scampered straight out of the room, not turning around once, and closing the door behind her. After a minute of just standing and trying to comprehend what had happened, she slid down the door, her back pressed to it, until she hit the ground. She curled up her knees and wrapped her arms tightly around her legs as she pressed her face into them.

Her legs felt cold as ice against her now tomato-red face. As she sat there, she listened to the noises from inside the bedroom. He wasn't talking, but movement could be heard from outside. Figuring he was putting on clothing since he'd just gotten out of the shower, she was reminded of seeing his sex right in front of her own two eyes.

Sighing, she covered her face with her hands and ran them down her face in humiliation. "That was probably the worst way I've ever seen how to introduce yourself to someone."

* * *

Kise stay lying on the ground, his gaze pointed at the closed door. In a state of mental shock, he had no idea what to think of his current situation. He'd definitely gotten a wake-up call, but he wasn't sure what else to think of it. Other than it serving as a reminder that he had a female guest who was practically naked, just walking around in his apartment, that is.

He sat up slowly, the palm of his hand against his forehead. "…I didn't expect that," he said, sighing with a crooked grin.

_Can't say it wasn't pleasant, though._

He blushed, just remembering the feel of her against his length. He felt like a pervert for thinking about it, but his sixteen-year old mind couldn't let go of it. And, despite his good looks and popularity, he had never experienced any sexual contact with any female before.

Using the bed as support, he stood and headed towards the dresser. He reached in a drawer and threw out a plain yellow t-shirt and matching pajama pants. Considering he was a model, it was only right to keep his look neat and clean, even when off-duty, or in lounge clothes. He wasn't particularly popular to the extent of receiving attention from the paparazzi, but if he did have contact with anyone, he needed to keep his image. Or so he'd learned from his manager.

_Man, does she never let anything slide. Midori-chii told me she'd be a great candidate for being my manager, but…should've known sadism ran in the family._

About two years ago, when Kise's modeling career started to bloom, he'd realized he needed a manager to help handle all the work. Midorima had offered to ask his older sister if she'd volunteer, and she had kindly accepted. Kise had for some reason, expected someone kind and gentle, but had gotten a cold-hearted and emotionless girl who had one goal: to put Kise on top. Not that he was one to argue, but with her cold attitude and strict rules, he sometimes regretted his choice.

_I should have known she and Midori-chii would have similar traits…in personality, especially._

After slipping on the t-shirt and pants, he hurried to the living room, hoping the girl was still there. When he opened his door, he saw that she was waiting patiently and calmly on the couch he had set her on the night before.

She looked up at him when he entered, and tugged down at the bottom of his sweatshirt, the only garment she wore at the moment. "Um…hello," she said, lightly.

Kise blinked slowly and stared at her for a moment. Her legs were thin but shaped well, and she was desperately attempting to cover them from him when he walked in. When she met his gaze, he quickly averted his eyes and scratched the back of his head in awkwardness. She had beautiful eyes, her lashes framing them like a models, the color of her iris an ocean blue. A model himself, he felt as if she would be competition in the modeling world. "Hey..." he said, as he felt his face heating up.

After a minute of silence and continued unease in the air, Kise piped up. "So, um…sorry about what happened. I didn't expect you to be there, and all." He bit his lip and kept his eyes off of her. He wasn't sure if he had just made the conversation better or worse at this point.

She replied after a few seconds of prolonged hesitance. "No, it was my fault. I was just checking if…well, never mind. My bad, I apologize." She looked down and kept her eyes on her shoes, watching her toes flex, probably out of uneasiness. When she caught Kise watching intently, her cheeks flushed and she turned her eyes elsewhere.

"Want some coffee? Or tea?" Kise asked, trying to break the ice. "I mean," he started, grabbing at the collar of his t-shirt and tugging at it, "it's kind of chilly this morning, so I thought it would be nice."

Internally sighing, he scolded himself._ Nice going! It's summer, how in the world would it be cold out?_

Despite his inept remark, she replied slowly, "I'll just have tea. I've never been that big on coffee…or caffeine, really."

"Sure, yeah!" Kise said, jumping up and heading to the kitchen in order to relieve the situation by occupying himself with something.

Opening the cabinet above the stovetop, he saw boxes upon boxes of tea flavors. He remembered how often his mother had sent him tea bags, despite his hatred for tea. Some boxes in the back had even gotten dust piled up on them. Most of them he hadn't touched, much less knew he even owned.

_They make peach-flavored tea? And blueberry? Huh, those are strange flavors for tea…_

"I have a lot of flavors, would you like to pick one?" he called from inside the kitchen.

"No, anything is fine…I like sweet flavors, though," she called back.

"Sweet, huh? Not like I have a gazillion flavors that are sweet to pick from," he mumbled to himself. Turning the boxes towards himself, he went through all the choices he had. He had chocolate tea in the very back, a more basic vanilla tea hidden behind it, and some regular herbal tea in a smaller box in the corner. Figuring the sweetest flavor would be peach, he pulled a tea bag from the box, setting it on the counter next to the cup he planned to pour it in. Then he turned the knob on the faucet all the way hot.

While he waited, he searched for a nice mug to brew his coffee in. Picking out his favorite and oldest mug, which was a rusty brown color with hand-painted basketballs, he reached for his bag of pre-grinded French vanilla-flavored coffee. It made him feel somewhat unmanly to admit it, but he did prefer his coffee with a lot of sugar and creamer, and less actual coffee flavor. While every other male family member preferred his coffee black, Kise couldn't possibly get over the bitter taste of it. Therefore, he sided with the females in his family, whom preferred theirs with special ingredients.

As the water continued to heat up, Kise poked his head out of the kitchen and took a peek at the girl. She had stood and was looking out of the glass door leading out to the balcony. He got closer and noticed her expression in the reflection on the glass. She looked confused with a mixture of pain and sorrow. He so desperately wanted to comfort her, but for unknown reasons. He knew he found her attractive, but to want to comfort someone after first meeting them was strange. They had spoken for a mere few minutes, and yet he already wanted to hug her. He shook the thoughts off, refraining from his wishes, and returned to the kitchen.

When he came back out, he held a warm cup of freshly brewed tea, and a mug filled with coffee that had an aroma of coffee beans with a hint of vanilla.

The girl still had her back turned, so he cleared his throat and said, "Here's your tea, sorry for the wait."

She looked up at him slowly and walked over to him. She gently pulled the mug from his grasp, slightly brushing his fingers as she did. She sipped it and smiled, "Thank you very much."

Sitting down on the lazy boy, attempting to cover his sheepish expression from seeing her adorable smile, he sipped his coffee. "My name…I mean, I'm Kise. Ryota Kise…Nice to meet you."

She sat down on the couch across from him. "Valerie. Valerie Emerson. It's a pleasure to meet you." She smiled, her ocean blue eyes sparkling at him. She appeared more comfortable now, her shoulders slumping slightly as she held the tea cup with both hands.

"That's an unusual name," Kise laughed awkwardly. "So, you're from another country I'm guessing?"

"Yes, actually. I live in the United States of North America. However, at the moment, I'm…running from someone," she looked down into the contents of her cup with a saddened gaze.

"Running? From who?" Kise asked.

"Well, I suppose it's alright for me to tell you…as long as you're not with _them_," she said, sighing.

_Who are they? What exactly has this girl gotten herself into? _

"About a couple years ago, I actually came here in hiding from my parents. You see…my father, Eugene Emerson, runs a large company in the United States," she said, looking back up at Kise. "He was pressuring me to learn the basics of running his company, which required all of my free time. He never respected my wishes or dreams… I told him I'd be going on a mission to require more knowledge about his company when in reality, I just wanted to run away."

"I see," Kise said, surprised that this girl opened up so quickly to him. His eyebrows furrowed as he processed what she told him. "So were you being chased by some of his agents last night then?"

Her expression turned serious. "I was. And they were persistent. I ran for miles, hiding behind corners and in alleyways. Eventually I lost them, though," she said, laughing slightly.

"How?"

Her eyes widened and she blushed. "Um, well, I threw my clothes off a cliff…"

Kise was surprised. His mouth gaped open and his eyes went wide, his eyebrows rising. "You what?"

Flustered, she shook her hands in denial. "I had to! I needed a decoy, and my clothing strewn off the side of the cliff would definitely distract them. I mean, if they caught me—

"But you were stark naked! How long did you run that way? Guys could've—I mean, you might have caught a cold or something. It was cold out last night," Kise said, turning his reddened face from her view. His face was hot with the knowledge that he'd said his thoughts out loud. He didn't regret it, but the fact that the thought of other guys seeing her naked made him feel uneasy, was strange to him. He'd only just met the girl, and was already this worried about her.

"I guess you could call it stupid of me, but I was desperate," she said, exhaling a breath of relief. "If they catch me, I'm going back to my studies in the U.S. I don't want to, but they'll force me. I have to move place to place in the hopes of losing them and being able to live a normal life."

"I understand," Kise said, looking at her, his hand holding his chin in thought.

"That's how I ended up in Japan. I needed a place to go, and Japan has the least ties to my father's company, so I thought it was the safest alternative. It took me a year to fully learn Japanese, but I think it's worth it," she said, grinning.

"I'll help you," Kise said, abruptly.

"Huh?" she said, surprised.

"You probably need a place to stay, and if they search for you around here, they probably won't expect you found someone to stay with. They'll eventually move on and search somewhere else, so until then, you can stay with me," Kise said, looking at her with a sideways grin. "Besides, my apartment is large, and has two bedrooms. You can take the other one. It has its own full bathroom, too."

As Kise rambled on about the quality of the bathroom, Valerie stopped him. "Wait. Why would you help me? I end up in your home somehow, bother you with my background story, and walk in on you while you're showering." She raised her eyebrows with concern. "And you want to…help me? Isn't that a bit strange?"

Kise shrugged. "You saw me naked, but that only makes us even. You were passed out in the bushes utterly naked, so I carried you here, bandaged you up, and dressed you in my sweatshirt." Kise found it shocking that he could say that seriously without becoming flustered or his face heating up.

"Oh," she said, looking down. Her face was reddening.

"I just feel like I should help you. You deserve that much," Kise said, looking at the decorative pieces on his mantelpiece. "You're running away with no plans and no money, so I just feel inclined to help you. Good karma, you know?"

She smiled at him, expression bright and glowing. "That means a lot. It really does."

"But first," Kise started, "we need to get you some clothes."

* * *

So thanks for reading, guys! See you in the next chapter!~


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